New funding from the Republic of Korea to support crisis-affected women and girls in northeastern Nigeria

A co-financing agreement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will enable UNFPA to scale up humanitarian assistance to meet the critical needs of women and girls in Borno State. 

The project, which will run from 2018 to 2020, will improve access to maternal care, including prevention and treatment of childbirth complications such as obstetric fistula, while also providing comprehensive health care and rehabilitation to survivors of gender-based violence. At the same time, UNFPA will continue its work to support young people in fulfilling their potential through innovation.

The project will draw on best practices from the Republic of Korea related to use of information and communication technologies to capture, analyse and store data. This will help ensure the project's sustainability.

Before the 14 May signing ceremony at the KOICA office in Maitama Abuja, the UNFPA Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Diene Keita, met with the Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Lee In Tae. 

Ambassador Lee said that he was familiar with the conditions facing women and girls in Bama, and that he intends to use the project as an opportunity to visit some of northeastern Nigeria’s hard-to-reach locations. Dr. Keita, in turn, invited Ambassador Lee to an upcoming Fistula Fortnight campaign that UNFPA will be holding in Borno State, which will provide surgical treatment to women suffering from obstetric fistula.

“There is hope for women and girls in Nigeria,” said Dr. Keita, acknowledging the Republic of Korea’s contribution to UNFPA’s humanitarian efforts in Borno State.